Page 5 of Fracture

Vinnie didn’t look away from Lorelei as he spoke. “She’s good for all of us. I’m just lucky that I get to be around her for a little while.”

Lorelei’s body tingled at his words. Desire? Maybe. Appreciation? Definitely. “Thank you.”

Vinnie nodded at her. “I’m not leaving unless you tell me you want me to. And if you do, I’ll be right outside making sure no one ever hurts you again. I promise you that.”

Lorelei sucked in a breath. She might not remember anything about her life before she woke up, but she knew, without a doubt, no man had ever made her a promise like that. And no man had ever made her feel like she didn’t have to do it all. Like she could lean on someone else and know she wouldn’t fall.

It was a damn good feeling. Because with Vinnie by her side, Lorelei knew she’d find answers. All the answers.

2

Vinnie watched Lorelei speak to her cousin. The confusion on her face when Karli said something Lorelei didn’t remember was enough to make Vinnie want to throw everyone out of the room so Lorelei wasn’t under anymore stress, but it wasn’t his place. He wasn’t her boyfriend or husband or even her partner.

Vinnie glanced at the man who’d been by Lorelei’s side for years and found Adam Johnson staring at him. When Adam jerked his head toward the hallway, Vinnie nodded.

“Where are you going?” Lorelei asked, the heart rate monitor beeping faster as soon as Vinnie stood.

“I’m going to speak to Adam and whoever else is waiting outside that door to see you and assure them all that you’re okay and tell them you might not be ready for a large group of people. If you’re okay with that.” Vinnie paused, holding eye contact with Lorelei until she nodded.

“Are you coming back?”

“Absolutely.”

Lorelei nodded again, then turned her focus back to Karli.

Vinnie felt like he was walking into the lion’s den, but he understood why there would be questions. Lots of them.

Adam stepped out ahead of him and looked up and down the hallway. He nodded to the two men standing guard, then jerked his head to an empty break room across the hall.

Vinnie followed the other man, hating that his heart pounded at the prospect of getting his ass handed to him by a man who, for all intents and purposes, outranked Vinnie.

Adam closed the door behind them, and Vinnie stood at attention, preparing for the lecture.

“Thank you,” Adam said, surprising the hell out of Vinnie.

“Sir?”

Adam waved his hand. “You don’t have to call me sir. I’m not in your command. And I am going to make sure you are not reprimanded for this.”

“Why would you do that?”

Adam let out a shaky breath. He ran his hand over his face and shook his head. Emotion filled his blue eyes, emotion that showed Vinnie just how much Adam cared for Lorelei. “She’d be dead if it weren’t for you.”

“I was only doing what I thought was best.”

“And you were right. When Raina, my wife, and I heard Lorelei was gone, we panicked. We started making calls in the middle of our reception. We had everyone we knew looking into her disappearance. For days, we waited for news. We thought she was gone. Vanished like so many others who were never seen again.”

“They wanted someone to find her.”

Adam nodded, his face twisting with pain. “They did. But I imagine they wanted it to be after she was dead. Which was what would have happened if you hadn’t gone looking for her. So, thank you. And I will do everything to make sure you don’t lose your job or have even one mark on your record as a result of this. And if that doesn’t happen, if my word isn’t enough, I guarantee you I will find a new place for you. My cousin is one of the F-BOMB owners, and they’re always looking for good people.”

“Thank you, sir,” Vinnie said, appreciating the support. He didn’t care what happened when he left town in search of Lorelei. All he cared about was finding the woman who was working harder than the rest of them to find the people who were destroying their city.

“The team at her apartment said there was nothing left behind. Nothing that would say who brought her there. Did you see anything?”

Vinnie shook his head. “No, sir. I noticed her doorknob was only locked on the bottom, not the deadbolt, and picked the lock. As soon as I was inside, I saw her and did what I could to judge her injuries. That was when my boss called and sent the police.”

Adam sucked in a breath and nodded. “That’s what we were told. Your prints were on the doorknob but nowhere else in the apartment, so they immediately ruled out you as a suspect.”